In the second set, Coco Gauff came back from a set and a break down. There is a time and a place for it.
In front of a partisan crowd, Coco Gauff advanced to the US Open quarterfinals for the first time by defeating ShuaiZhang of China in straight sets.
The runner-up at the French Open was down 4-5 in the opening set and was a point away from losing.
As the end neared, Gauff shouted "Let's go, Coco!'' as the spectators cheered her every point, and she went on to win her fourth match in a row. She had never won a match in a Grand Slam tennis tournament.
It doesn't feel right. Is it possible that the stadium chanted my name? Gauff hasn't dropped a set in the tournament. On the changeover, I tried not to smile. I was trying not to think.
Melanie Oudin was 17 years old when she was in the US Open quarterfinals.
The first player from any country in the fourth round of the women's tournament was Gauff. The oldest was 33 years old.
Both players prefer the backhand side of the game and they competed mostly from the baseline. Gauff found that she claimed 45 points that lasted five or more strokes, while Zhang won 26 of them.
The 12th-seeded Gauff will face the 17th-seeded Garcia in the second round of the US Open.
Gauff advanced to the US Open quarterfinals after defeating Alison Riske-Amritraj of the U.S. in straight sets.
None of the eight women in action on Sunday had ever made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam before, and only two had ever made it to the semifinals.
At night, Veronika Kudermetova was scheduled to face Jabeur.
Gauff's best shot was a down- the-line backhand. That's what caused the error by Zhang to allow the American to take a 5-5 lead. The winner closed out the first set.
It took a while for the artificial lights to reach full strength after the start of the second set was interrupted by showers. Even though it was dark and humid, the match continued.
The first two games were difficult.
When she hit a backhand winner of her own, she broke to lead in the second set and then went on to win the match.
Gauff stood her ground as the Grand Slam doubles champion served to force a third set.
The set point was lost when Zhang hit the ball. Gauff hit a down-the-line backhand winner for her third break point of that game, then delivered a good return to a corner that drew a long backhand to make it 4-4 and begin a four-game, match-closing run.
The AP contributed.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
